With the UN’s Decade of Healthy Ageing underway, we take a look at the research around colour, design and dementia.

Understanding dementia

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 55 million people around the world are living with dementia, with around 10 million new diagnoses a year.

Thanks to medical research, we understand a lot more about the condition than we used to. We know, for example, that progressive decline of cognitive function doesn’t just impact on memory but impairs a range of interconnected sensory and cognitive functions – including tonal differentiation, visuospatial awareness, balance and hearing.

In fact, visual disturbance is one of the key symptoms of dementia, manifesting across the many different strains of the condition and often compounded by sight loss due to normal ageing.

Design and dementia

Built environment design can have a profound impact on quality of life for people living with dementia. In response to growing understanding of the condition, dementia-friendly design has emerged as a branch within the field of Environmental Design, with the goals of supporting individual needs and independence while boosting self-esteem and confidence.

One specific area of research is around colour, with evidence showing that the mental and physical capacities of people with dementia can be supported by informed decisions around colour and environments.

Age-friendly living and colour – the basics

Contrasting hues and tones are key to dementia-friendly design, with a recommended differential in Light Reflectance Value (LVR) of 30% or more between critical surfaces such as floors and walls.

In dementia care homes, for example, bold colour contrast can help reinforce different functions such as dining and watching TV, as well as clearly distinguishing doorways.

For users with dementia, it’s important that the colour and tone of furniture stands out against floor and wall surfaces. In addition, armchairs with contrasting colours for seats and arms can help people with dementia navigate sitting down, with the same principle applying to a contrast in colour for toilet seats.   

Floors are one area where changes of colour and tone are not advised because sudden tonal transitions are easily perceived as a change in level by dementia sufferers. Conversely, stairs do benefit from a strong colour or tonal contrast between edges and the treads and risers – helping people with dementia to find their footing and minimising the risk of falls.

Generally, use of matt, non-reflective and non-patterned floor surfaces is recommended – while shiny surfaces may be perceived as slippery and dangerous, patterns or flecks can easily be misinterpreted by people with dementia as obstacles or dropped litter.

Recent research and further info

As awareness of design for dementia grows, design tools are becoming more sophisticated. Researchers at the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre in the UK, for instance, have recently updated their Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT). Taking a holistic look at dementia-aware design for the benefit of designers and caregivers, the toolkit identifies three tiers of intervention – Dementia Aware, Dementia Supportive and Dementia Inclusive. 

You can find out more about the EADDAT toolkit here.

To read more about dementia-inclusive societies from the World Health Organisation click here.